Direction-indicator for motor-vehicles.



S. F. DUUGLASS.

DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION man MAY 21. 19:5.

' L165,%9. Patented 1m. 28, 1915.

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S. F. DOUGLASS.

-D|RECTION INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLFS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1915.

1,165,949. Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

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APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, I915.

Patented De0.28,1915.

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SAMUEL F. DOUGLASS, 01*" PRAIRIE DU ROCKER, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '1'0 VEHIGLE SIGNAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF A'E/IZDNA.

mancrionrnnrcaron non MOTOR-VEHICLES.

messes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. leis.

Application filed ma 21, 1915. Serial No. 29,586.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. DOUGLASS,

a citizen of the United States of America,

' able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in direction indicators for motor vehicles, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a reliable and eflicient means by which the driver of a motor vehicle .may .indicate the direction to be taken when turning corners and rounding curves and to give other infor mation.

Another object of the invention is to pro- Vide a device which will save life and property and avoid danger of injury to both the occupants of the vehicle and pedestrians or others.

.Still another object of the invention is to provide a direction indicator which may be controlled from the steering wheel of the "ehicle, thereby avoiding the necessity of With these and other objects in view,the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth 1n the following specification and accompanying drawings, in Wh1ch:

Figure 1 1s a side view in elevation,

partly broken away to-more clearly illustrate the details of construction of; a motor vehicle showing this improved indicator attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a face view of the indicator. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view 1 beyond-the said downturned portions and are surrounded with suitable coilT springs 20 which are secured to the shafts and of the indicator plate illustrating the solenoids and operating mechanism for the pointers. Fig. d: is a sectional View on line its M of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view in i elevation of an indicator constructed-in accordance with this invention. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through a portlon of the casing. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the switches, and Fig. 8 is the wiring diagram of the device.

Referring now to the drawings by characters of reference the numeral 1 designates as an entirety, the casing of the device comprising the bottom wall 2 having a side and end wall 3 formed integral therewith.

The bottom is preferablysquare in plan and there is provided the cover 4 comprising the glass panel 5 secured in the-frame 6, which is attached in any preferred mannor to the upper edges of the wall 3. Secured within the casing 1 and spaced from the bottom wall 2 is a suitable plate designated generally by the numeral -7 which comprises the body 8, having formed therein the tapered openings 9 .which are arranged so that the points of convergent of the walls point directly to the corners of the casing as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These openings 9 are triangular and they communicate with the slots 10 formed in the platewhich extend. toward the central opening 11. I

Secufied intermediate the plate 8 and the "bottoniwa-ll 2 of the casing and located adjacent the under side of the plate are the solenoids 11, having slidable therein, the armatures 12 which are provided at their outer ends with the rack bars 13 which bars are provided with a series of openings extending longitudinally, forming teeth which mesh-with the gears operating the signals as will be more'fully hereinafter described.

Secured in each corner of the under sides of the plate are the brackets 14: having journaled therein the shafts 15 carryingv the indicator arrow-s 16. These arrows 16 001171 prise triangular bodies having fcrmednear each-end, a pair of slits forming the shaft engaging portions 18 which cooperate-,with the bodies in holding the shaft in proper position with relation thereto. The inner ends of the shafts are jouinaled in downturned portions 19 formed at theextreme inner ends of the slots 10 and extend slightly i ing to show whether the car is going to the downturned portions so as to normally hold position.

the indicator arrows 16 in a predetermined The faces of the arrows which are normally exposed are preferably painted white or of the color of the plate? while the under faces are preferably red or a similar bright color which may be readily seen. Mounted on the shaft adjacent the downturned portion 19 are thegear wheels cants device is best illustrated in Fig. 7 and comprises the casing 22 having secured therein, suitable insulating material 23. This insulating material is provided with a V-shaped recess 24, in which the lever 25 is pivotally mounted.- This lever 25 is provided with a pair of oppositely disposed contact plates 26 and 27, which plates are arranged to engage respectively two separate sets of contacts designated by the nu- -merals 28 and 29 as clearly shown in Fig. 7,

There are provided two OI these switches and one of them is mounted on one side of the steering wheel, while the oppositeswitch is mounted on the opposite side of the steering wheel. Suitable wires are conneoted to the switches and to the indicators as well as the power source and it Wlll thus be seen thatthe manipulation of the switches will cause the different indicator arrows to be thrown into and out of operat'fe position.

Upon referring to the diagram in Fig. 8,

it is apparent that there is provided the power source 30 from one pole of which leads a suitablewire 31, which wire 31 is the general return wire and is connected to each ofthe magnets as clearly illustrated in the drawing. In the wiring diagram the switches for operating the indicators pointfront or rear will be referred to by the referencecharacter 6, while the switch indicating a turn will be referred to by the reference character (4. Upon throwlng the switch a to indicate a left hand turn, it w1ll be apparent that the current will flow from the power source through the wire 32 into the Wire 33 which leads to the contact 34 of the switch. This contact 34 is engaged by one of the plates 26 or 27, which contact also engages the contact 35, thus allowing the current to flow through the plates and into the wire 36 from whence it passes into the solenoid a. The current thenpasses back from the solenoid a to the power source through the wire 31 and it will thus be seen that the solenoid will become nergized, thereby exerting pull on .its armature and throwing the signal to indicate the left hand the indicator.

turn. Simultaneously-with the energization I of the magnet a, the magnet a will be energized-as it is on the same circuit.

. It will thus be seen that whichever switch is thrown two of the magnets will become energized, thereby operating their respective signals and indicating at both ends of the vehicle, the direction to be taken.

Mounted within the casing is a suitable lamp base 37 and this base is located centrally of the plates so that the opening therein alines withthe opening in the plate 8. A suitable lamp bulb 38 is threaded into the base 37 and surrounding the bulb is a suitable reflector 39 which is designed to throw the rays away from the bulb. In

.order that the rear signal may be used in place of the usual tail lamp, the glass panel 5 is coated with a suitable red material, which will cause the light rays passing therethrough to be colored. On the front indicator of course, the red spot in the cen ter is eliminated as there is no necessity for carrylng'such a single lamp.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the user of such a device may readily signal pedestrians and others that he intends to turn a corner or is coming to a stop or will proceed ahead without necessarily removing hishands from the steering wheel of the vehicle. It is also apparent that a signal which is equally visible after night as well as in the .day time, is provided. I

While in theforegoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that such changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts as will fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A device of the class described includthe solenoids are energized the signals will be'moved and means for illuminating the casing.

'2. A direction indicator of the characterdescribed including a casing,-a transparent front wall for said casing, a plate within the casing, said plate being provided with aplu rality of radially disposed triangular openings, indicators closing said opening, the opposite sides of the indicator being different colors so that when the indicators are in their indicating positions, the colors will be exposed and means to reverse the position of 3. In a direction indicator, a plate, said IIO meeme being provided with a central open and electrically controlled meansfor revere i i having a plurality of radially (lising the posit-ion of each indicator selectively. 10

1 oeed triang, openings arranged around In testimony whereof I afiix my signature he central openlng, signals shaped to fit the in presence of two Witnesses.

5 epenings, said. signals being of the same SAMUEL F. DOUGLASS.

eoler as the plate when in their inoperative Witnesses:

ion,' the under feces of said signals be A. E. PALMIER, Jr.,

ofa color other than that of the plate, GEO. A. REIFEL. 

